Triceratops Skeleton to Be Auctioned After Decades in Museum

The 17-foot-long fossil, dubbed "Trey," has a pre-auction estimate of $4.5 million to $5.5 million.

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

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A triceratops skeleton that stood in a Wyoming museum for decades will be auctioned off, marking a rare instance of a museum-exhibited dinosaur going to the auction block as the market for prehistoric fossils has hit record highs. The 17-foot-long herbivore, discovered in 1993 and known as "Trey," will be open for bidding from March 17 to 31 on Joopiter, an online auction platform founded by Pharrell Williams.

Why it matters

The hot market for dinosaur fossils has some paleontologists concerned that important specimens could disappear into private collections, depriving scientists of important research opportunities. However, the buyer of the previous record-setting dinosaur fossil, "Apex" the stegosaurus, signed a long-term loan agreement allowing scientists to study it.

The details

Trey was discovered near Lusk, Wyoming, in 1993 by Lee Campbell and the late Allen Graffham, a commercial paleontologist. The fossil greeted visitors at the 1995 grand opening of the Wyoming Dinosaur Center in Thermopolis, where it remained on loan until 2023. Having been recently sold in a private transaction, it is now in Singapore, where it is available for private viewings through the end of March.

  • Trey was discovered in 1993 near Lusk, Wyoming.
  • Trey greeted visitors at the 1995 grand opening of the Wyoming Dinosaur Center in Thermopolis.
  • Trey remained on loan at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center until 2023.
  • Trey will be open for bidding from March 17 to 31, 2026, on Joopiter.

The players

Trey

A 17-foot-long triceratops skeleton that stood in a Wyoming museum for decades.

Lee Campbell

The person who discovered Trey near Lusk, Wyoming, in 1993.

Allen Graffham

A commercial paleontologist who made numerous significant fossil finds and co-discovered Trey.

Joopiter

An online auction platform founded by Grammy-winning artist and producer Pharrell Williams, where Trey will be auctioned.

Apex

A stegosaurus skeleton that was previously auctioned for a record $44.6 million in 2024, and is now on display at the American Museum of Natural History after the buyer signed a long-term loan agreement.

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What they’re saying

“This one is connected to people and undoubtedly has inspired young children who've seen it to pursue a career in paleontology.”

— Andre LuJan, paleontologist (Joopiter)

“If a fossil goes into a private collection without guaranteed access forever, that data is essentially lost to science.”

— Kristi Curry Rogers, paleontologist at Minnesota's Macalester College (Newser)

“Because we've had this paradigm shift in what owning dinosaurs means to society, people are naturally gravitating toward these benevolent situations where they loan them long-term to museums or they end up donating them to a new museum that's just being born.”

— Andre LuJan, paleontologist (Newser)

What’s next

The triceratops skeleton, known as Trey, will be open for bidding from March 17 to 31, 2026, on the Joopiter online auction platform.

The takeaway

The surging interest in dinosaur fossils has raised concerns among paleontologists that important specimens could disappear into private collections, depriving scientists of research opportunities. However, the recent record-setting auction of the Apex stegosaurus skeleton, which was subsequently loaned to a museum, suggests a shift towards more benevolent ownership models that balance private investment and public access.